Cable-stretcher.



J. DYKBS.

CABLE STRETGHER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1913.

1 ,1 18,539. Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

2 EHEETS-SHI1BT 1.

J. DYKES.

CABLE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1913.

1, 1 1 8,539. Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HIE NORRIS I'ErEm C0 PHOTO-LINK) WASIIINUYUN. n 1' UNITED STATES 'rntrnur FFIOE.

JAMES IDYKES, OF NEW ROCKFORD, NORTH DAKOTA. I

CABLE-STRETCHERJ be expeditiously coupled'to the unloading.

plow or scraper, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve the construction andincrease the efliciency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed device which may bereadily coupled to the track and whereby the pull cable is unreele'd from the winding,

drum as the train is moved into position. Another object of the invention 1s to provide a simply constructed device whereby the holding means for the pull cable maybe quickly installed in position, and the pull cable released when the stretching operation is completed.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed outin the claims andiin the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

i plied. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts Figure 1 is a planviewbf a portion of a railway trackhywith the improvement apshown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isan enlarged side elevation ofthe improved anchor grip connected to a rail, the rail being in transverse section. Fig. {l is a plan'view of the parts shown in Fig. 3 with the raillin section on the line of'Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the attachment employed for maintaining" the anchor cable 1n ele- Vat'ed position.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

' In making"fills inconnection with railway construction and similar operations, earth or sand is usually employed as a filler and first deposited upon platform cars made into a train and coupled together, the rear i 5 carbeing provided with a plowor scraper and the forward car provided with a wind- I Specificationof Letterslatent.

Patented Nov. 24,1914.

Application filed Ju1y 21, 1913. Serial No. 789,283.

ing drum, and with a locomotive to draw the train thus made up. A pull cable is connected to the winding drum at oneend and to the plow or scraper at the other end and then as the winding drum is operated and the cable wound upthe plow or scraper is drawn over the cars towardthe Winding drum and thus consecutively discharges the loads from the cars- When ready to discharge the cars, the cable, which is generally 1000 feet or more lo11g, must first be unwound from the drum and disposed over the entire train". and cow pled to the plow or scraper and this has heretofore required the labor of a large number of men, besides taking a relatively over the loaded cars without requiring it to y be handled, and without the necessity for stopping the train except for very short time. i The improved device comprises a crotch cable to which the main pull cable is coni nected, means for anchoringthe terminals ofthe crotch cable to the track, and means for supportingthecrotch cable at a suitable distance above the rails and spaced. apart far enoughto permit the cars to pass. The crotch cable portion of the improved 1 device is represented as a whole at 10 and is provided with rings 11 at its terminals and an eye 12 through which the crotch cable'is sliable by its bight portion. The terminal eyes 11 of the crotch cableare arranged to to be connected tosuitable anchor grip devices attached to the: railsrepresented conventionally at 13 and betweena pair of the ties represented conventionally at 14. The anchor grips are preciselyalike except i that, theyare made rights and lefts and the of the base member 15 is a spacing block 17, h

and pivoted at 17 upon the spaeingblock is a combined grip and cable receiving mem 110 ber18. The pivot 17" extends through the three members 151618so that the mem i ber 18 is free to swing laterally upon the pivot. At its inner end the member 18 is extended obliquely to the longitudinal plane of the member as represented at 19 so that a wedge-shaped gripping point 20 is produced for engaging against the web of the rail.

The distance between the pivot 17 and the gripping point 20 is greater than the distance between the pivots and the web of the rail, so that when the member 15 is disposed beneath the flange of the rail with the hook -16 engaging the flange the point 20 will engage against the web of the rail at the opposite side and thus firmly anchor the base member 1.5 and the upper member 18 to the rail when strain is applied in the direction of the arrow, as will :be obvious, while at the same time the device can readily be released when the strain is removed by simply reversing the movementof the member 18 upon its pivot 17. The outer portion of the member 18 is preferably tapered as shown, and is provided with a link 21 to receive a hook 22 with which the terminal hooks 11 of the crotch cable are engaged, :as

Shown. I I

At points intermediate the crotch cable struts or supporting devices are employed for supporting the crotch cable in elevated position at each side of the track and spaced at a suflicient distance apart to permit the cars to pass, and as the supporting devices are precisely alike the description of one will ,sufiice for both.

Each supporting device comprises. a bar formed of a horizontal portion 23 and avertical portion 2 1 preferably formed of T metal with the web cut away at one end and the .part of the bar which remains bent into a rail flange engaging hook 25. Riveted or otherwise secured at 26 to the horizontal portion 23 of the bar is a bearing plate 27 preferably for-med of '1' metal with the web presented upwardly, and long enough to extend over a pair of the ties let, and bear upontheir upper faces as shown. Swiveled through the web portion of the plate 27 is abar 28 threaded to receive an adjusting nut 29. The bar 28 is inclined upwardly toward the hook 25 and is designed to bear beneath the ball and against the web of the rail and thus coact' with the hook 35 to firmly anchor the bar 23 to the rail, the nut 29 providing means whereby the member 28 may be firmly clamped against the rail and thus anchor the member 23 thereto, and likewise adapt the device to rails of various sizes. The horizontal portion 23 and the vertical portion 2 1 of the bar are supported by diagonal braces 30 as shown.

Near the upper end the vertical portion 2% ofthe bar is provided with a swiveled I bolt 31 to receive a vertical supporting member 32 preferably formed of a section of piping. The member 32 is provided with an internal wooden core 33 to stifien and strengthen the member, and likewise provided with a hook 3 1 near its upper end to receive the crotch cable 10 and support the same. By this simple means the crotch cable is firmly coupled by its terminals to the track and likewise supported for a suitable distance above the track, and when strain is applied to the ring 12 the crotch cable will be retained in position and not only spaced above the track but spacedapart a sufiicient distance to permit the cars topass.

Attached to the ring 12 by a short section of chain'35 is a bar 36 having an open hook .37 at one end and an eye 38 at the otherend. A pull cord 39 is connected to the eye 38. The hook 37 'is designed to receive a swivel coupling 40 attached to the pull cable, a portion of which is represented at 4-1. By this simple arrangement it will be obvious that so long ,as the pull cord 39 remains in a slack condition the pull cable 11 will remain attached to themember 36, but when it is desired to release the pull cable a pull upon thecord 39 will draw the bar 36 into its upward position and reverse the position of the hook 37 and thus release the member 36 and the cable 11 coupled thereto, and enable the member "36 to be coupled to the plow, not shown.

The crotch cable will be located opposite I the end of the fill from which the cars are received, and as the locomotive and the first car which contains the winding drum and its operating mechanism with the pull cable fully wound upon the drum, passes beneath the embed crotch cable the member 36 to which the cable is attached is coupled to the member 35 of the crotch cable with the pull member 39 lying slack. Thenas the train is moved forwardly the cable 41 is unwound from the winding drum and laid consecutively over the loaded cars until the last car which contains the plow or scraper arrives beneath t'hefc'rotch cable. The. train is then stopped and thepull cable 39 actuated to reverse the position of the member 36 and release the hook 37 from the member 35. The hook 37 isthen coupled to the plow or scraper and the windingdrum actuated to draw the plow or scraper consecutively over the cars and thus discharge the, load.

The arrangement of the cars which contain the load, the winding drum andthe plow together with the pull cable are so well known that it is not thought necessary to show these parts, the invention lying in the crotch cable and the manner of arranging and supporting'the same.

, Having thus described the invention, what, is claimed as new 1s:

ed to engagelthe rails of a railway track, struts spaced apart and having means for receivingsthe crotch cable, means for coupling said struts to the rails of a railway track, and means for coupling a pull cable to said crotch cable.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a crotchcable, means adapted to connect said crotch cable to the rails of a railway track, strut supports each including a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, means for coupling said horizontal portion to the rails of a railway track, a strut bearing upon each of said supports, means for coupling said struts to said supports, and. means carried by said struts for IGCGlVlIlg,

the crotch cable.

An apparatus of the class described comprisinga crotch cable, means adapted to connect said crotch cable to the rails of a railway track, strut supports each including 3 railway track, a rail engaging member car ried by said bearing member, a strut bearing upon each of said supports, means for coupling said struts to said support, and 1 means carried by said struts for receivmg the crotch cable.

4. An apparatus of the class described.

comprising a crotch cable, means adapted to connect said crotch cable to the rails of a railway track, strut supports each including.

a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, means for coupling said horizontal portion to the rails of a railway track, a strut bearing upon each of said supports, diagonal braces connected to the horizontal and vertical portions of the strut support andbetween. which the strut extends, means for coupling said struts to the vertical portion of said supports, and means carried bysaid struts for receiving the crotch cable.

5. The combination with a railway track including the rails and ties, of supports each including a vertical portion and a horizontal portion, said horizontal portions each having. a terminal hook for engaging respectively with the flanges of the rails, a bear ing member extending transversely of each of said horizontal portions and adapted to engage the adjacent ties, a rail engaging member carried byeach of said horizontal members, a strut bearingvupon each of said horizontal portions, means for coupling said struts to said vertical portions, and means carried by said struts for receiving a crotch cable.

In. testimony whereof I aifixmy signature Witnesses:

Geo. PIKE, H. F. RioRnAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseaeh, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents,

Washington, D. G. 

